Tranquility? Not So Much
by Nan00k
Summary: A tourist finds herself in the midst of some very strange locals. Sam and his Autobot friends find themselves in the midst of some very strange tourists. Optimus Prime and his Autobots may have met their match.
1. A Girl In the Car

**Title**: Tranquility? Not So Much.  
**Author**: AnimeDarkside  
**Rating**: PG-13 for language and crude humor  
**Characters/Pairings**: nothing special, except the canon Sam/Mikaela  
**Warnings**: contains spoilers for the movie, original characters and silliness  
**Disclaimer**: _Transformers_ is copyrighted to Hasbro and Dreamworks. However, _The Sky Is Falling_, plus its characters and plot, all belong to me.

I wrote this on a whim. xD It's an crossover with my original series, _The Sky Is Falling_, which I have yet to even finish writing. Lol. You may feel a little confused about who's who, but everything will be explained. I originally posted this on the tf2007fun LJ.

* * *

It was a complete accident. Or, that's how Payton later described it. In all actuality, it wasn't that much of an accident as a little goof. She had promised her friends that she would not stray far as they wandered the tiny shops of the city, but she had quickly forgotten her promise while taking in the sights. A road trip across the country had seemed like an ideal way to relax and enjoy the summer before senior year. However, the ideal soon melted into a disaster once Payton realized that she was completely and utterly lost. 

"You have to be kidding me," she moaned, fumbling with her pockets. Not only was she lost in the middle of Nevada, she had forgotten her cell phone in the car. She looked around quickly and grimaced. She had no pocket change and there weren't any payphones near by. "Man!"

She wanted to kick something, but she had a feeling that wouldn't help her any. She looked up and saw a parking lot. It was for a classic-looking diner and many cars were parked there. Slowly, Payton got an idea.

"This technically isn't stealing," she murmured to herself as she skirted across the road and towards the parking lot. She looked around warily and once she was sure there wasn't anyone near, she rushed into the line of cars.

The models and colors meant nothing to her. She quickly peered into the windows and sighed every time she saw locked doors. She hesitated over doors that were unlocked, but frowned deeply when she saw empty seats. After several minutes of fruitless searching, Payton groaned and leaned back against a car. Perhaps she should just stand in the middle of the streets and hope that Leo found her…

A sudden sound snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned around, shocked. The car she had been leaning against—a shiny yellow Camaro—gleamed back innocently at her. Payton's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Suddenly, something caught her eye.

"Aha!" she cried, kneeling down. She grinned happily inside the window. On the passenger seat lay a cell phone and even better, the door was unlocked!

Looking around carefully, Payton touched the door handle. She felt strangely nervous about touching the strange car, but her worries were batted down by reason. Gently, she opened the door.

"No alarm," she whispered, thankful. She stood up and opened the door all the way. She gave one last sweep around the parking lot and when she was sure no one was watching, she slid into the seat.

Payton was no criminal by any means, so as she carefully turned to face the passenger's side seat, she could not help but feel increasingly uneasy. All she needed was the phone and even then, only for a few minutes. She picked up the phone and sighed. Next to her, the door slammed shut.

Yelling in surprise, Payton flew to the other side. She gaped at the door and shouted, "SHIT!"

The door, sleek in its own regard, remained still and silent. Payton stared with wide eyes at the side and gulped. She slowly sat back up and eyed the door warily. It remained unlocked, but the incident had made all her hairs stand up on end. Exhaling, Payton picked up the cell phone and turned away from the door.

_Come on, come on_, she muttered mentally to herself. She quickly tapped the familiar number out on the keypad. _Corey, please tell me you have your phone on…_

The dial tone blared back and Payton groaned. The stupid moron who owned the phone hadn't paid his flippin' bill that month! Angry, Payton threw the phone back onto the seat and shifted around again. She didn't have time for this. She had to—

Payton stared at the door with a blank expression as unseen dread filled her chest.

The silver locks slid shut.

Those passing by were left to wonder why the brunette in the Camaro was kicking at door as if in some sort of mad frenzy.

**& & & MEANWHILE & & &**

The human had to be mentally deficient. No one could just go up and STEAL him, Bumblebee swore. He had waited patiently as the human had hovered nervously next to him and then carefully open his door. He had not actually intended on letting her slide into the seat, but something about her seemed different. Her touch was not the same warm clay-like feeling he got from most people. It was icy and almost electric. It was…strange.

"Shit," he heard her mutter as she played with Sam's mechanical device he had left on the seat (he briefly remembered it was called a cell phone and was used for communication.)

Bumblebee was now stuck. He couldn't transform with the stranger sitting inside him. Sam and Mikaela were still on their "date" as they called it and he knew he couldn't just drive through the building to find them. After a moment, the girl made a sound of frustration and threw the phone away. Bumblebee knew she was about to leave the car.

So, he locked the door.

It wasn't like he had any interest in the child. She seemed overdressed with make-up and accessories. Her hair was streaked with unnatural shades of blonde. She was, as Mikaela once described a fellow classmate, materialistic looking. She also had a foul mouth and no respect for other people's property. However, Bumblebee did know one thing: she had broken into someone else's car and that was illegal on Earth. If he let her just slip off, Sam would not be able to report the incident to the authorities.

"HOLY SHIT!" the girl shouted, leaping back across the front seats again. She stared in horror at the door. "Not this shit again!"

_Again?_ Bumblebee briefly felt curiosity rise in him at her bizarre choice in words. However, he was distracted painfully when the girl began to kick furiously at the door.

"No time for this!" she growled out between clenched teeth. She sounded more angry than afraid. "One freaky-ass possessed car in one life-time is enough! Come on!"

Bumblebee, as much as her mutters were curious, started to become annoyed. He quickly adjusted the dials on the radio.

"_Back off I'll take you on, Headstrong will take on anyone, I know that you are wrong, headstrong to take on anyone, I know that you are wrong, If this is not where you belong…"_

The girl shrieked again and was pressed against the seat in open horror. She stopped the infernal kicking, at least.

"Oh man," the girl said, fear evident in her voice. "This is so not cool!"

Bumblebee wanted to laugh, but knew he was being cruel. It did get a little boring playing chauffeur all the time for two teenagers, though. He shut the radio off and fell silent. The girl stared at the dashboard. Suddenly, she glared angrily.

"Oh, you think you're so smart, huh, mofo?" she said, her voice growing louder. She raised her hand threateningly at the steering wheel. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, you cheap hunk of scrap, but I'm not falling for it. If you think you're the first sentient piece of metal I've ever met, think again!"

Okay, now THAT was attention grabbing. Bumblebee felt his spark chill. None of the other Autobots had ever mentioned any other human besides Sam, Mikaela, a few government and military officials and the Lennox family knowing about them. Perhaps she was just exaggerating…but it was too specific. If no Autobot had made contact, then there was only one other alternative.

His engine roaring to life, Bumblebee shot backwards out of the parking space and quickly turned around. The girl shrieked in surprise and fell over again at the sudden movement. She looked up, her hair a mess.

"DAMN IT, THIS WASN'T WHAT I MEANT!"

Bumblebee ignored the girl's angry shouts and tore out of the parking lot. A Decepticon informant was unheard of—they hated lesser species and especially the humans. However, Bumblebee would take no chances. It had only been six human months since Megatron had fallen. The notion of a new uprising was not impossible by any means.

_I must reach Optimus and the others_, he said to himself as he took off down the street. _They must know about this human—this could be a serious problem!_

* * *

TBC for now. Payton is such a funny kid. She may seem "materialistic" but she's really down to Earth…her constant screaming notwithstanding. Bumblebee's worry is well placed—Payton is from a science fiction world just like Bee and Sam…plus flying toasters. Yes! Toasters! 

**Song Credits**:  
_Headstrong_, by Crawling in the Dark


	2. The Problem

Thank you for the reviews. :)

**Warnings**: contains spoilers for the movie, original characters and silliness  
**Disclaimer**: Transformers is copyrighted to Hasbro and Dreamworks. However, _The Sky Is Falling_, plus its characters and plot, all belong to me.

* * *

"That was fun," Mikaela giggled, as she and Sam stepped out of the dinner.

Sam laughed wearily and using one of the white napkins in his hands, he wiped the last bit of ice cream from his face. Trent the jock and his goons had dropped in prematurely on their date. Instead of letting the vengeful jerk ruin his date, Sam had…retaliated.

"I don't think the owner will ever let us back," Sam said mournfully, dumping the trash into the trashcan on the sidewalk.

Mikaela smiled gently at her boyfriend. "You have guts, Sam Witwicky. Not many people would get into a food fight with Trent over lil ol' me."

Rolling his eyes, Sam sighed. "That's about all the fight I have in me," he muttered, wrapping his arm around her waist. "There isn't anything much courageous about throwing a sundae into someone's face."

"Don't be so upset," Mikaela replied, snuggling up closer to him. She smiled softly. "You don't know how much I'd prefer a guy who fought with wits rather than fists." She leaned up and gently kissed him on the nose. "Besides…Trent never saved the world."

"Is that a bonus?"

"Oh, you bet it is."

Both laughed and kissed. Their tender moment was abruptly cut short, however, when the sound of a roaring engine and the smell of burning rubber broke through the calm afternoon air. Turning around in surprise, the two spotted the offending car that shot off in the opposite direction. Sam gaped.

"That was Bumblebee! Hey!"

While Sam jumped and waved fruitlessly at the departing car, Mikaela frowned. "Something must be up," she commented, uneasy. She turned to Sam. "Aren't the other Autobots supposed to be at the overlook tonight for that catch-up meeting?"

"Yeah, but that's not till after dusk," Sam replied. He looked worried. "You're right. Bee would never just dump us here. There's definitely something wrong."

A car horn beeped beside them. Sam's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the driver of a parked sedan.

"Miles!"

"Yo, bro!" the said blond crowed, grinning. He patted the door through the open window. "You're not the only one with some wheels now." He looked over and grinned uneasily. "Oh, hey, Mikaela."

"Hi," she replied. She quickly approached the boy and leaned down in front of him, ignoring his surprise. "Miles, right? Um, can I ask you a favor?"

"S-sure."

"We need your car."

"WHAT?!"

Sam groaned softly, but went along with Mikaela. "Just for a hour or two. It's kind of urgent."

Miles scowled. "Why do you need my ride? I mean, you're the one with the fancy Camero."

"Uh, my fancy Camero kinda…left."

"Shit, dude, you mean it was stolen?!"

"Uh, yeah." Sam grimaced at the hole he was digging himself into. "Can we borrow your car? Like, please?"

Miles nodded dumbly. "Sure, man. Hop on in and I'll drive ya."

"Uh, we kind of need to go alone."

Blanching, Miles scowled deeply. "I'm not lending you my car to _play_ in man! My mom uses this thing too!"

Rolling her eyes, Mikaela pulled the driver's door open. The surprised Miles fell out with a following string of colorful curses. Stepping over the boy, Mikaela looked up at Sam.

"We'll bring it back in one piece. Sam, get in."

Sam, slightly in shock at his girlfriend's abruptness as well as his friend's dumbfounded form on the sidewalk, quickly nodded and rushed around to the other side of the car.

"HEY!" Miles cried, shocked.

"An hour!" Sam called back, silently begging for the boy's understanding. He slid into the passenger side door just as Mikaela took off.

"He's headed towards the overlook," she said, her voice quiet.

Sam nodded. All they could do was wait and hope that their fears were unfounded.

**& & & On the Road & & &**

"I AM GOING TO TURN YOU INTO MULTIPLE TIN CANS AND BOTTLE CAPS, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A SPORTS TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE!"

The girl in his driver's seat had not once stopped uttering some of the most unique and unsettling threats since he had taken off out of the driveway. He had seen Sam and Mikaela come out of the diner, but he couldn't stop. His duty as a soldier could not be ignored. The two humans would be fine in the meanwhile.

Reaching her breaking point, the girl grabbed the steering wheel and gave one of the most menacing death glares Bumblebee had ever witnessed towards the dashboard.

"If you do not let me out right now," she began, her voice low and dangerous. "I will kiss you."

Quickly checking the World Wide Web to make sure he had not misunderstood her words, Bumblebee almost paused in surprise. A kiss was a way of showing affection between a two partners or close companions. He neither was the girl's partner nor was he a friend of hers. Hoping not to scare her more, he tentatively turned on his radio again.

"_Forgive me but it all seems so unreal to me…but do you mind too much if I don't understand?"_

The girl, thankfully choosing not the scream again, grinned haughtily. "Don't understand? Ha, I'll bet. Let me tell you, though, bud, my kisses aren't that pleasant. Especially not for demonic cars from hell."

Her comments continued to baffle Bumblebee as well as make him laugh. The girl blinked in surprise when she heard the soft laughter come through the speakers. She scowled.

"Don't laugh at me! I'm being serious." The girl sighed and leaned into the driver's seat. "Whatever. I'm being kidnapped by a yellow Camaro in the middle of Nevada. Nothing new. Nothing strange."

She fell silent and Bumblebee suddenly felt uncomfortable. He adjusted his dials. _"Who are you?  
Who, who, who, who? Who are you?"_

Looking up in surprise, the girl burst out laughing. "Nice!" she commented, grinning at the dash. "It took Leo forever to handle the dials. And his taste in music sucks. Not bad, Creepy Camaro." She smirked and said, "I'm Payton Travison, if you so desperately wanted to know."

Bumblebee, taking a turn, revved his engine warningly at her sarcasm. However, he was secretly unnerved. He had never heard of a Decepticon (or an Autobot!) by the name of "Leo" before. He did not have time to change his mind in taking the girl, though. He pulled up the familiar dirt road and headed towards the top of the overlook. He felt relief flood him when he saw the three out-of-place cars parked in the grass.

Payton, frowning, also noticed the new cars. "Friends of yours?" she drawled. Her comment made Bumblebee uneasy again. She always seemed to get things right.

'_Bumblebee?'_ he heard the voice of Optimus Prime say over their intercom link. _'You are three hours early. Is everything alright?'_

'_I think I may have found a Decepticon spy, sir.'_ Or maybe just an extremely odd girl.

'_A spy, you say?'_ interrupted Ratchet. He sounded suspicious.

'_A human spy, actually.'_

Ironhide scoffed. _'That's preposterous!'_ he said, severe.

Bumblebee would have frowned at the older weapon's specialist. _'Preposterous or not, she's in my front seat.'_

All three Autobots seemed to hiss in surprise. Bumblebee, growing more and more uneasy, came to a stop in front of them. Payton stretched her neck to look at the vehicles.

"A semi, a pick-up truck and an ambulance," she murmured. A frown appeared on her face. "I might have trouble with the semi, but this should be a no-brainer." She gave the dashboard a taunting grin. "That is, if you have the guts to let me out."

Bumblebee would not allow himself to fall for her taunting, but he knew he had to let her out. Reluctantly, he unlocked the door and it swung open. Payton, gathering up all the dignity she could muster, swung her legs out and slowly stood.

"Now for the fun part," she muttered, looking over the four cars.

Bumblebee slowly backed up and came to a stop. Then, he transformed. Normally, the process would have been simple and dull after all the times he unfolded from his vehicle mode, but the Autobot had forgotten to take in mind the girl's tendency to scream. And did she _scream_.

"HOLY MOTHER F—!"

Groaning, Bumblebee looked down at the dumbstruck human once he was completely transformed. To the side, Optimus and Ratchet quickly transformed. Bumblebee briefly wondered why Ironhide had not changed, but forced himself to focus on the screaming female in front of him.

"Human," Optimus began, coming closer. He grimaced at her screaming. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We are a robotic organism from the planet Cybertron. We mean you no harm." He winced. "Please…stop _screaming_."

"That's easier said than done," Bumblebee muttered, staring remorsefully at the hysterical girl.

Slowly, the girl had stopped screaming. She backed up slightly, eyes caught like a proverbial dear in headlights at the sight of the three giant robots. Then, surprising Bumblebee once more, the girl's fear turned into a pained grimace.

"Well, shit."

* * *

TBC. You finally get to understand what the hell is going on next chapter! Well, in the next-next chapter. Yay :D BTW, Payton's kisses aren't what you think. Watch out BB, she's not bluffing. Optimus is gonna get a huge wake-up call next chapie.

**Song Credits**:

1. _I Just Don't Understand_, Willie Nelson  
2. _Who Are You_, The Who


	3. The Tourists

Thank you all so much for the reviews. :)

LOL. Optimus gets some! XD

**Chapter Three**: The Tourists  
**Warnings**: contains spoilers for the movie, original characters and silliness  
**Disclaimer**: Transformers is copyrighted to Hasbro and Dreamworks. However, _The Sky Is Falling_, plus its characters and plot, all belong to me.

* * *

Payton hated surprises. Talking cars notwithstanding, she had a remotely un-surprising life…sort of. As she stared up at the gigantic robots that seemed to have originated from the cars that once sat there lifeless, she realized that her life was going to be once again surprise-filled and illogical. 

"I am Optimus Prime," the largest creature repeated. It's red and blue flame markings meant it had been the semi. It pointed at the red-and-yellow robot to his left. "And that is our medic, Ratchet."

_The cars turned into the robots! _She thought shrilly to herself. She felt her heart skip a beat. _Oh, if Leo and Sparks knew about this…!_

Optimus Prime motioned over at the Camaro-robot. "You have met my infiltration specialist, Bumblebee, I take it?" he asked.

"Uh…" she replied dumbly. She shook her head and forced herself to speak louder. "Ah, yeah. The satanic Camaro. Yep, we're acquainted pretty well."

Whatever dark comment the Camaro had to say to her was cut off when Optimus Prime leaned in closer to her. Payton involuntarily took a step back, wary of the giant face.

"We mean you no harm," the giant repeated.

Payton arched an eyebrow incredulously. "You try believing a three-story robot that says that to _you_," she challenged. She turned red when she realized how rude she had been. "I mean, sorry. I'm…not used to seeing giant robots."

"Yet, you are used to talking vehicles," Optimus countered, frowning.

_Apparently, they can communicate with each other in other ways than speaking_, Payton commented dryly to herself. She sighed and nodded.

"You could say I have experience in sentient vehicles," she replied, crossing her arms. She smirked wryly. "Of course, said vehicles never turned into giant robots. You guys definitely have an edge over _my_ car."

Optimus seemed to smile at her humor. "I see," he said. He leaned back and stared at the one called Bumblebee. They undoubtedly were speaking to each other again and Optimus frowned when he turned back to her. "As much as I believe one is innocent until proven guilty…this is highly irregular. I fear I must ask you some questions before we can let you leave."

"I was lost anyway," Payton replied. She sat down on the grass and looked up at the robot in a bored fashion. "Go ahead. Ask away."

Her growing lack of surprise and fear seemed to confuse the robots. Optimus shook his unease away and crouched closer to the girl.

"Are you in any way affiliated with the Decepticons?" he asked.

Payton arched an eyebrow again. "The decepti-what?"

"The Decepticons. They are like us, also from Cybertron, but they are fighting against us. They wish to wreak havoc on this world in order to accomplish their evil goals."

"Aliens _**again**_?" Payton suddenly moaned. She grimaced as if in pain. "MAN!"

"Again?" echoed Bumblebee, uneasy.

"If you couldn't tell already, I'm not your average Jill."

"I thought you said your name was Payton Travison."

Payton rolled her eyes. "Cars have no idea what sarcasm is, no matter if they're robots or not." She motioned with her hand in a tired way. "Okay, to make it simple, no I have never heard of a Decepticon, nor have I ever heard of an Autobot. I am in fact in contact with other aliens and yes, that includes talking cars." She paused. "And a toaster, but he was an accident."

"What is a toaster, Ratchet?" Bumblebee asked, turning to the ambulance.

"A human appliance that cooks specific breaded foods."

Payton almost laughed. For giant robots, they acted very human. She grinned and stretched lazily. "So, are you here to save the world or something?" she asked.

Optimus hesitated. "You are very observant," he replied.

"Comes with the trade, I guess." She smiled sadly. "I guess if you are, we have more in common than meets the eye."

"Oh?" drawled Ratchet.

A grin appeared on Payton's face. She turned to face Optimus and asked, "Could I kiss you?"

All three robots hesitated. Bumblebee frowned in uncertainty.

"A kiss is meant to be shared between two human partners or between companions," he said, confusion clear in his voice. "As a display of affection."

Payton laughed. "Oh, but my kisses are a little special. They're just for metal things. Like robots or cars."

"I am afraid I don't understand," Optimus said, still frowning. He seemed just as confused as the others. "But I don't see a problem with trying it out."

"Alright then," Payton replied. She stood up and came face to face with the robot. She grinned slyly. "You just have to stand perfectly still."

"What is this going to prove, exactly?" Ratchet asked, suspicious.

Payton smirked at the Hummer-bot. "I will prove to you just how similar we are. Well, minus the whole transforming into robots bit. _I_ can't do that."

"What can you do?" Bumblebee asked. He seemed unnerved. Perhaps he was remembering her threat in the car.

Reaching up with both arms, Payton gently touched the sides of Optimus' face. She grinned wickedly. "You'll see," she said, leaning closer to the Autobot leader's face.

Optimus did not pull away and watched in fascination as her face approached his own. All three of them watched her with the same curiosity. With the most delicate gentleness any of them had seen in a human being so far, Payton raised her chin and her lips touched against Optimus' metallic cheek.

Then, it happened within seconds.

Bumblebee felt his spark freeze solid in fear as he saw his beloved leader's optics turn from bright blue to the dullest shade that flickered dangerously. With a screech of metal that could have made ears bleed, the form of the gentle leader shuddered and fell forward with lifeless action. The ground shook violently as the titan's torso slammed into the ground. His optics finally stopped flickering and remained dark. He did not move again.

As soon as it happened, it was over. Ratchet and Bumblebee stood frozen in horrified shock, unable to speak. Payton, undisturbed by their reaction, leaned away and licked her lips.

"Yum," the girl said, smirking darkly down at the fallen robot. She only looked up when she heard a startled shout from behind them.

"What's going—OPTIMUS!"

**& & & FIVE MINUTES EARLIER & & &**

Mikaela was a vicious driver. Sam, gripping the upholstery subconsciously, grimaced as they neatly dodged an incoming Honda. He had heard about she and Bumblebee taking out Devastator during the battle in Mission City, but he hadn't expected the girl to be so…reckless.

"Do you have any idea what's up?" Mikaela asked, suddenly.

"No," Sam replied, shaking his head. He frowned with a concerned look in his eyes. "Bee wouldn't just leave us. This has to be serious business."

Like Decepticon business. But he didn't say it. Mikaela gripped the steering wheel tighter, knowing exactly what the unspoken comment was. They both knew the danger of an attack was still there. But if there was any danger, why would their guardian leave them?

"Damn it," Mikaela whispered as she came to a stop at an intersection. Stupid red lights. Sighing, she waited for the light to change. Sam decided not to interrupt her silence, knowing she was probably just as perturbed as he was.

Suddenly, a hand tapped on Mikaela's window. Looking up in surprise, they saw a scruffy brown-haired boy leaning out of a black SUV's passenger side open window.

"Excuse me," he said, as they rolled down their window. He smiled sheepishly. When he spoke, Sam heard an unmistakable southern accent. "We seem to be lost. Are you guys from around here?"

"Yeah," Sam replied. He gave his best friendly smile, despite his deteriorating nerves. "Can we help you?"

"Yes…well, actually, we're looking for one of our friends. She seems to have wandered off." The boy laughed, but Sam and Mikaela could hear the exhaustion in his voice. "She's got brown hair with blond streaks and it's up in a bun. Uh, I think she was wearing a blue tank top and white pants. Have you seen her anywhere around here?"

"Sorry," Mikaela replied, smiling wryly. "Haven't."

The boy grimaced. "Thanks anyway."

"Sorry we can't help," Sam added.

"I feel more sorry for your town," the boy laughed, smiling. He shrugged. "Ah, well. The search continues."

Mikaela laughed, but was distracted when the light turned green. She waved and began to roll up the window as they moved forward. Sam suddenly gasped.

"Look!"

"What?" the girl asked, looking up.

Sam looked as though he had seen a ghost. "That SUV," he said, pointing weakly as the boy's car drove off.

"What about it?"

"There was _no_ _one_ driving it!"

Both looked at each other, shocked. Slowly, Mikaela turned around, aware she was in the middle of the intersection. She didn't really mind the honking horns around them. Instead, she gripped the steering wheel.

"We have to get to the overlook. NOW."

They shot off, speeding very much over the speed limit. They passed the black SUV, hoping that everything was just a misunderstanding. However, as she passed, even Mikaela saw that there was no one in the driver's seat. The darkened windows blocked out any visuals on whoever might have been in the back, but Mikaela wasn't all that worried about that.

It took them less than a few minutes to reach the quieter neighborhoods where the more rural areas were. The overlook had always been there, but since they had met the Autobots, Sam and Mikaela had grown fond of the grassy knoll. There, they could hand out with their robot friends without worrying about being discovered. They could relax, even while worrying about Decepticon attacks.

However, as they pulled up the dirt road, a sinking feeling filled the two teenagers in the beige sedan. They could easily see the massive forms of the robots. They seemed to be hovering near something on the ground. It appeared to be a human.

Suddenly, Mikaela gasped and slammed on the breaks. Sam yelped in surprise and looked up. He gaped in horror as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, literally fell forward lifelessly.

"Oh, God!" Mikaela cried, ripping her door open. Sam followed suit and tumbled out into the dry summer air.

They managed to reach the front of the car, but could not bring themselves to move any further. Optimus had still not gotten up. Sam's fear turned into anger.

"What's going—?!" he began to shout, but Mikaela cut him off.

"OPTIMUS!" she yelled. She made a move to dash forward towards the Autobots and the stranger, but the sound of a new car engine made her pause.

In a fury of dust and spinning tires, a black SUV tore into the field. It spun around directly in front of them and faced the bewildered robots. Sam gulped when he saw it was the same SUV and the same southern boy.

"Leo?" asked the strange girl in front of the robots, as if simply surprised by the car's presence rather than the robots.

"Payton!" shouted the southern boy, leaning out of the window.

The other doors opened and two more people peeked their heads out. One was a muscular woman with short sandy blond hair and the other was a black haired man who looked like he hadn't seen the light of day in years.

"MORON!" roared an unaccounted for voice. It seemed to originate from inside the car itself in an unsettlingly familiar fashion.

Before Sam could demand an explanation, something silver shot out of the open sunroof on top of the SUV.

"Ello?" asked the strange silver object as it hovered over the southern boy's head. It sounded high pitched and cheerful. "Ello, ello, ello!"

Sam blinked. He blinked twice. Still, the object did not change shape.

"Is that a toaster?" he whispered meekly.

"Yes," replied Mikaela, equally unnerved.

Suddenly, giant robots did not seem so strange.

* * *

TBC. LOL. Payton's kiss of death isn't over yet, so don't freak out. In fact, you may as well call it the kiss of _life_. :) And finally, the infamous Leo and Corey shall be formally introduced! Plus Sparks…and Jane…and Oscar. Oh, and the flying toaster, too.


	4. An Explanation of Large Proportions

This is a huge chapter: I guess that's a good thing. Maybe.

**Warnings**: contains spoilers for the movie, original characters and silliness  
**Disclaimer**: Transformers is copyrighted to Hasbro and Dreamworks. However, _The Sky Is Falling_, plus its characters and plot, all belong to me.

* * *

Payton didn't know quite how to get out of this one. She felt the death glares of the two robots from behind her and faced an extremely agitated SUV plus its equally angry occupants. She swallowed hard.

"Hi?" she said, weakly.

"What do we need to do," began the strangely disembodied voice that came from the SUV itself. "Tie you to a leash whenever we go outside?!"

"I didn't mean to wander off!" Payton replied, stomping her foot down. "I got distracted, that's all. Don't be so freaking mean, Leo! Oh, and then I got abducted by that Camaro!" She finished by pointing up accusingly at the still shell-shocked Bumblebee.

A new voice appeared. It was a girl, an unknown face to Payton, who stood next to another strange boy behind the SUV. Both looked horrified. "You just killed _Optimus Prime_!" the new girl shrieked hysterically.

"Who the hell are you?" Payton asked, eyes narrowing.

"Payton, you idiot!" the southern boy moaned.

"Shut up, Corey! I didn't do anything wrong on purpose!"

The black haired sickly man grinned darkly. "Sparky is pissed," he said.

"Um, are those giant robots?" the short-haired woman asked, pointing weakly at Ratchet and Bumblebee.

Payton looked up and grimaced at the rage-filled faces of Bumblebee and Ratchet. "Oh. Um, yes, Jane…those are giant robots."

Leo the SUV groaned. "What the hell have you been doing?" he asked.

"Site seeing. Then getting kidnapped. Then I kissed him," Payton replied dryly, pointing back at the lifeless Optimus Prime.

The smell of burning dirt and flesh wafted past her nose. Payton looked up just in time to see a streak of blond and white appear in front of her. A second later, she was sailing through the air and landing painfully in the tall grass.

"OW!"

An unearthly hiss greeted her. Despite her anger, Payton could not suppress a shiver of fear as she lifted her head up to face her attacker. It was a blond haired boy who looked even paler than the black haired man. His eyes, golden and streaked with black, were set into a bone-chillingly evil glare.

"You fool!" the boy hissed. He flexed his ghost-like hands threateningly. "You stupid, thoughtless fool!"

"H-hello, Sparks," Payton managed to say, shaking as she sat up. All the sarcasm had left her.

Sparks' look of utter rage did not falter. "You _kissed_ one of those creatures? Are you blind? Are you mentally deficient?!" he howled, taking a dominating step closer to the shocked girl. "They are not of this Earth—they surpass even _my_ age and galaxy. They are the _Transformers_!"

"The what?" Payton squeaked.

"Your childish actions may have just made all of us problems worse than what we already face!" Sparks hissed. He turned his head swiftly, towards the uneasy Transformers. He did not show any real change physically, but Payton could hear his voice become less dominating as he addressed the giants. "For the actions of my charge, I apologize," he said, bowing his head slightly. He did not break eye contact with Ratchet, however.

"You apologize?" asked a voice to the side. Turning her head, Payton saw the strange brown haired boy step up from behind Leo and the others. He looked livid. "You're _sorry_? You just—Optimus—he's…!" he tried to say, struggling to find words.

"You killed him," stated Bumblebee. Payton could actually hear the robot's anger boil. "You killed him, you kill—!"

"Not killed!" Payton hastily said, waving her arms. She suddenly was aware of how bad this situation was, with angry robots hovering over her and all. "He's not dead! I swear, he's not dead!"

"Explain the lifeless body part, then!" challenged the strange boy.

Payton faltered. Sparks groaned and shot a look over at Corey. "Fix the Transformer," Sparks ordered.

"Why can't Payton do it? I mean, it's her mess," the southern boy said, leaning on Leo's open door.

"I don't trust her judgement."

Payton glared. "HEY!"

"When have you ever trusted her?" Jane asked, now back to her usual placid state.

"HEY!"

"No trust, no trust!" chirped the floating toaster.

Payton paled in shock. "Not you too, Harley!" she cried, upset.

"Can I do it?" the black haired man asked, excited.

Sparks glared. "You would transmute his energy into a tree, Oscar."

"No, I wouldn't," Oscar exclaimed. He did frown as if caught red-handed.

"Fine, fine," Corey said, stepping down from Leo. He sighed and began to roll up his sleeves. "This would have never have happened if we had just flown."

"Hey, if you did that, I wouldn't be able to go," Leo protested.

Payton scowled and crossed her arms. "That's not such a big loss, actually."

"Watch it, brat."

Sighing at the sight of his bickering companions, Corey walked up to the lifeless creature everyone seemed to be calling Optimus Prime, pulling his single glove off his right hand as he did so. Up close, the metal man really did seem intimidating. Corey shivered at the thought of it actually being alive…but Sparks called the shots. Especially when it came to alien visitors.

Bending down, Corey faced the titan. Despite the metal exoskeleton, the being seemed to have a face. Corey smiled slightly at the thought.

Suddenly, he was aware of heavy footsteps coming closer. Looking up, he saw the two yellow robots lean dangerously close to him.

"We are watching closely, human," the red and yellow one said, his voice clearly stating their distrust.

Corey chuckled nervously. "Don't worry. Your friend will be fine," he promised. He turned and faced Optimus Prime again. Exhaling, Corey lifted his right hand. "Here goes nothing."

He gently tapped the face with his index finger. The familiar charge of electricity jumped from the tip and Corey grinned at the familiarity of the feeling. Slowly, he lifted his finger away from the face.

**& & &**

The change was immediate. Bumblebee stared in wonder as he literally saw the electricity shoot all over Optimus' prone form. The gears inside the Autobot leader clicked and swirled on as the wave of light passed over them. Then, to both he and Ratchet's utter delight, a blue glow appeared in Optimus' optics.

"Told you," Payton muttered darkly.

Bumblebee and Ratchet stepped back, amazed as their leader slowly pushed himself up from the ground. The boy, supposedly named Corey, stepped back. He did not seem that surprised.

"Everything functional?" he asked, directly at Optimus.

At first silent, Optimus gently lifted his hand and stared at it uneasily. His optics swept over the other areas of his body. After a moment, he seemed to relax.

"Yes," he said, his strong voice a comfort to Bumblebee immediately. "All my systems are running optimally. In fact…better than ever. Thank you."

"No problem," Corey replied, grinning. He tucked his hands into his pockets and gazed up at the Autobot. "I have to admit you're the first giant robot I've ever worked on, but if I'm ever going to be a good mechanic, I guess I have to dabble in everything."

"Dabbling in Transformers is not acceptable!" hissed the strange blond boy. Bumblebee could not help but feel uncomfortable around the bizarre creature.

"What the hell is a Transformer?" Payton asked, as if bored from her seat on the ground.

The blond creature whipped around. "Be silent, stupid girl!"

"Make me."

Before the enraged blond creature could lunge at Payton, Bumblebee heard a familiar voice come over the group.

"What the hell is going on?!" Sam demanded, coming up alongside Optimus with Mikaela close in tow. He seemed frightened. "Optimus, are you okay!?"

"Yes, Sam, I am fine," Optimus replied, smiling slightly. He looked over the motley crew of strangers that had assembled, however, and he frowned. "But first, let's sort out what exactly is going on."

**& & &**

There were nine of them in total. Payton, Corey and Sparks were the apparent co-leaders of the group, but Sparks seemed to hold control over all of them. The cropped haired older woman was named Jane Chase and was an ex-marine. Her solid, unbending attitude seemed to attest to that fact. The black haired man was named Oscar and from what Sam could figure after the man had offered to turn Payton into a rock, he was definitely not functioning on full mental thrusters.

There apparently were two more children, twins to be precise, named Aaron and Aarabelle. They were not traveling with the main group, however, and the others would not speak about them except to warn, "never be alone in a room with them." That was enough to drop the subject.

The last two creatures weren't human at all. The black Chevrolet Trailblazer was named Leo. He apparently could speak and had one of the most sarcastic attitudes Sam or Mikaela had ever seen in a car. He belonged to Payton, but by the way the two argued, it was impossible to tell who really owned who. The other object was a toaster. How it floated and how it talked apparently was unknown even to Payton and Corey, who acted as the toaster's co-owners. They had named it Harley and even though it seemed relatively intelligent, it preferred to say things only when it felt like.

"We're on vacation," Payton explained. The entire group, robots and all, had sat down to face each other in the grass. She shrugged tiredly. "I got lost and ended up looking for a cell phone to use to call Corey. Since Bumblebee's door was unlocked and that cell phone was lying on the seat, I just figured I could be in and out without Sam even knowing about it."

"Did you even think to ask anyone on the street if you could use their phone?" asked Leo, who was parked next to her.

"Who would let a total stranger use their cell phone?!"

"Who would let a demented teenager loose on the streets without a leash?" Jane muttered. Payton shot her a dark look, but Sparks interrupted her.

"I apologize again, Transformer Optimus Prime," the blond creature said. He bowed awkwardly again towards the said Transformer. "Payton's powers are still new to her. She finds them amusing to use."

"What exactly _can_ you do?" Mikaela asked, looking at Payton with interest.

Payton grinned. "You know how humans have electricity in their brains? Well, me, Corey, Jane, the twins and Oscar can turn our electricity inside us out onto electricity-conducting things around us. It's like jumpstarting a dead car. We can create new energy—or souls as some people call them—inside usually soulless objects. We can literally bring a cell phone or computer to life if we wanted to."

"Or stop a car in motion," supplied Corey.

"Or take a human soul and put it into an inanimate object," added Oscar, grinning sadistically. "Well, at least _I_ can do that."

Jane shrugged. "I'm a little different, too. I can melt things, even steel, by super-heating my hands with electricity. Go figure."

"That's freaking amazing!" Sam said, gaping at the group.

Payton giggled and tapped her lips. "We're called the Touched Ones by Sparks' people. It only works for me if I touch my lips to a metal surface. That's how I accidentally brought Leo to life, when I first realized I had powers. I later tested it again on my toaster and that's how Harley was made."

"Harley, Harley!" chirped the toaster, which hovered loyally over Corey.

"My right index finger is the key for me," the said mechanic replied, grinning.

Sam shook his head, amazed. "How many more are like you out there?"

"Well, it's just us as far as we know, plus the twins," Payton replied, shrugging. "There used to be another guy, Lamont, but he kinda went crazy and tried to take over the world via Radio Shack, so we had to kill him."

Sam and Mikaela stared at the girl in horror. Payton blanched.

"Well, we didn't REALLY kill him! His powers went haywire on him and he electrocuted himself."

"That…sucks," Mikaela replied, grim.

"That is what you get for using powerful gifts for self-interest," the bizarre Sparks snapped. He shook his head and glared at Payton. "If you are finished exposing yourself to total strangers, let us leave."

"What part of va-ca-tion do you don't comprehend, Sparkles?" Payton asked dryly. She rolled her eyes. "You said these guys were aliens, right? Shouldn't you be feeling right at home or something?"

"You're an alien?" Sam asked, directly at Sparks. The dark look he received made him wish he hadn't spoken to the strange boy. Bumblebee shifted behind him and Sam was thankful for the Autobot's presence.

Mikaela did not back down so easily. "You know about them," she said, gesturing at the watchful Autobots. "So, that means you're definitely not from Earth. Are you like, a different species?"

Sparks glared. "What my people are called is nothing Earthling vocal cords can pronounce. These idiots," he said, motioning at the indignant Payton and Corey. "Have taken to calling us the Bright Ones. My name is equally as difficult to pronounce and because I also can manipulate electrical currents, they have given me the designation'Sparks.'"

"Sparkles!" cried Payton. She ducked as Sparks' hand struck out at her.

"I believe I know what you're talking about," Ratchet suddenly said. He looked thoughtful. "A parasitic race that invades organic hosts. Highly intelligent, but suffered significant losses over the last few millennia due to war and disease."

"Parasitic?" Sam echoed, suddenly uneasy. "Wait, like _Body Snatchers_?!"

Payton nodded. "Exactly what I said!" she cried.

"We had no choice!" hissed Sparks. He did seem uncomfortable. "Besides, this human child was in a comatose state. His flesh was of no more use to him."

"Right," drawled the sarcastic girl. She rolled her eyes. Turning, she smiled at Sam. "He's a pain and has no culture-sense at _all_, but he means well. He won't spontaneously nab your body, so don't worry. I think he likes his current body."

"It suits my purposes," Sparks replied.

"Creep."

While the two bickered, the other boy Corey took over conversation. "So, you guys are here to protect Earth from something?" he asked, looking up at Optimus.

"From the Decepticons," replied the Autobot leader. "After their leader was destroyed six months ago in Mission City, they have fallen back. However, we must anticipate a counter-attack, just to be safe." He paused and looked almost regretful. "We cannot let the human race suffer our war."

His words stilled the tourists. Even Sparks' severe face softened. He looked down, frowning.

"I agree with that philosophy," the parasite replied, his voice distant.

"Yet, you're still here," Payton muttered.

Corey rolled his eyes. "Way to ruin the moment, Payton."

"I remember that though," Jane began, thoughtful. "The news said it was a terrorist attack."

Oscar grinned insanely. "I knew it was a government conspiracy!"

"What I want to know is how there are two alien wars going on and the rest of the world remains completely oblivious," Leo growled.

Jane smirked at the SUV. "I concur."

Sam chuckled and grinned back up at his robot friends, who also seemed amused. Now that they were sure the strangers weren't going to be a threat, they seemed to be relaxing as well. Suddenly, Sam noticed something.

"Where's Ironhide?"

All three Autobots hesitated. Bumblebee shifted uneasily and then turned around. Sam looked behind them and saw the familiar black pick-up sitting only yards away.

"Why's he over there?" Mikaela asked, confused. "And why isn't he transformed?"

Optimus frowned. "He cannot transform because he is carrying something in his truck bed."

"What's he carrying?"

"A heavy load," came the curt answer. Everyone looked up and saw the pick-up's lights flash and the car moved closer. Ironhide sighed heavily. "I was also busy observing this whole circus. Are you certain they aren't threats, Optimus?"

"I don't believe they are," Optimus replied, chuckling.

Payton gasped and pointed at the approaching truck. "Wait, you're one of them, too?!" she exclaimed.

"I am Ironhide," replied the pick up. In a flash of gears and metal, two canons appeared out of the hood. "Weapons specialist."

"WICKED!" Corey and Payton both exclaimed, grinning at the Autobot.

Jane whistled. "Well, that beats Bob, for sure."

"Who's Bob?" asked Mikaeala.

"Corey's old pick-up truck. We had to leave him behind because of his age, but he said he was content watching the junk yard Corey owns back in Philadelphia."

"Do you bring to life all your cars?" Sam asked, grinning.

Corey laughed. "Well, Leo and Bob were accidents."

"Hear that? You were an _accident_!" Payton exclaimed, pointing at Leo. She laughed cruelly.

Leo revved his engine warningly. "You _must_ have a death wish," the car threatened.

Ironhide had maneuvered around the group and stopped next to Optimus. "Sir," the gruff Autobot began. Sam was slightly surprised at the sound of sadness in his voice. Craning his neck around, he looked into Ironhide's open back.

"_Jesus_…!"

To the naked eye, it appeared just as a pile of silver metal and pipes. However, Sam knew the distinctive marking on the largest piece of metal right away. His blood chilled when he realized what it all was.

"Jazz," Mikaela whispered. She and Sam exchanged worried glances.

Corey looked over at the truck bed and looked a little uneasy. "What is…?" he began, tentatively.

"Jazz was my second in command," Optimus began mournfully. "He fought bravely, but the leader of the Decepticons—Megatron—was too much. Ratchet has been working on fixing him, but I fear it is hopeless."

The tourists fell silent, moved by the sudden seriousness. Payton looked sad and to everyone's surprise, she gently patted Optimus' foot.

"I'm sorry," she said, her honesty obvious.

Jane nodded. "I know what it's like to loose comrades on the field. It's…hard to get around it once the fight is all over."

"I wish there was something we could do," Corey said, sending the Autobots a regretful look.

"It's alright—," Optimus began to say, but a loud engine roar cut him off. Leo revved his engine and nudged closer to Payton.

"Are you that forgetful, you moronic brat?" the car exclaimed.

"What?" Payton demanded, surprised at his aggressiveness.

"_Hello_! Do you forget what you can do, Miss Kiss of Death?"

Everyone paused. Sam, a strange mixture of hope and fear filling his chest, stared at the surprised Payton. She frowned deeply.

"Why are you looking at me?" she asked, suspicious.

Everyone stared at her.

Payton hesitated. Suddenly, she laughed. "Oh! I get it now!"

Sparks groaned and slapped his palm over his face. Corey grinned excitedly up at the Autobots and demonstratively cracked his fingers. "Care for a little tune up?"

* * *

The last chapter is up next. :D It's kinda obvious where this is going, but I loved Jazz! I had to do this! 

For those of you who were interested in my original Sci-Fi series, _The Sky Is Falling_ (where Payton and the OCs are from), check out my profile for a link to my website where I have some information up about the series.


	5. Respect

Last chapter! Thank you all for your reviews and comments.

**Warnings**: contains spoilers for the movie, original characters and silliness.  
**Disclaimer**: Transformers is copyrighted to Hasbro and Dreamworks. However, _The Sky Is Falling_, plus its characters and plot, all belong to me.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Bumblebee to realize that the strange humans did have miraculous powers that could even rivaled the ability of the Allspark. They had proven their command over machines, even over the Autobots themselves. A few of the humans did grate his nerves, but he could not help but feel a wary respect for them. He did not see anything good coming from making them enemies.

"Okay, move back a little," instructed the boy named Corey. He was probably the only one amongst the seven strangers who had any common sense. He also seemed to respect the Transformers a whole lot more than his friends.

Obeying, Ironhide moved in reverse slightly. Corey and Payton both watched the pick-up and took on serious faces.

"He's torn in two, so we're going to need Jane to meld the metal a bit," Payton murmured.

Corey nodded. "I'll mend the halves together. Can you handle channeling the shoots for a couple seconds?"

Payton grimaced. "Sure, but it's gonna sting like a bitch," she replied, rubbing her hands subconsciously.

"If you truly are willing to resurrect our friend, you will have our thanks. We will be in your debts," Optimus said, sinking down closer to the humans.

Corey laughed. "Hey, if we heroes don't stick together, whose gonna save the world when it gets into trouble?"

"You guys saved the world, too?" Mikaela asked, surprised. She and Sam had moved up next to Ironhide and were watching with concerned eyes.

"Uh, we're working on it," Payton replied, smiling uneasily.

Sparks glared and hopped up onto the bed of the truck with such speed, Bumblebee almost didn't catch the movement. It was odd, but the creature's added weight seemed unusually heavy in comparison to his body's visible mass.

"Working on it? We're not getting anything done with you just standing here, behaving like an ordinary mechanic!"

"Stuff it, Sparks," Jane snapped. She and Oscar came up behind Corey and Payton. "These kids have been through hell and back, and obviously, so have these robots and their humans. I think you could let us be a little open with our gifts while we're on freakin' vacation."

Sparks hissed at her, but did not disagree. He glowered at Payton and Corey who climbed up onto Ironhide.

"Oh!" Payton cried. She cast a worried eye at Ironhide's front. "Is it okay that we're up on you?"

She may have been obnoxious most of the time, but Bumblebee noted that she did have a respect for the "talking car" as though she thought they were human. It was a nice characteristic he had rarely seen in the few humans he had contact with on Earth so far.

Ironhide chuckled, even though Bumblebee knew the old soldier was probably feeling extremely crowded. "Thank you for asking, but go ahead."

Nodding, Payton turned back to the prone form of Jazz. She frowned, but followed Corey in stepping over the robot. Jane and Oscar leaned into the bed, waiting for an order.

"Jane, could you help me mend the break?" Corey asked, turning to the ex-marine.

Jane nodded and climbed up. She carefully stepped over one of the massive legs and leaned over the chest next to Corey. "Ready when you are," she said.

Corey lowered his right hand and by spreading his fingers, he gently touched the two different edges where the rip had occurred. He winced at an unseen pain and Bumblebee suddenly felt deeply grateful for the strangers' sacrifice.

Mimicking the younger boy, Jane reached down and grabbed the two edges with both hands. She grit her teeth and pulled. Sam and Mikaela audibly gasped as they saw the two edges glow with heat. Slowly, the halves began to pull together.

Sam and Mikaela came up next to Oscar and watched in amazement at the two. The gaping tear between the two halves of Jazz seemed to be etching closer and closer together. Oscar looked over at them and chuckled.

"Pretty freaky, huh?" he asked, grinning.

Sam nodded, not looking away from the truck bed. "How did you guys even _get_ these powers?" he asked.

"Alien abductions aren't just for Sci-Fi freak magazines, kid."

Both teenagers paled in mild horror at his comment. Sparks growled and looked back at Jazz's "doctors."

After an agonizingly silent minute, Bumblebee shifted closer to Ironhide. The tear was almost completely gone and the two halves were nearly whole again. The metal seemed to melt back into place with each other and Jane removed her hands.

"Payton!" Corey shouted suddenly.

Payton quickly rushed around to the front of Jazz. She leaned down close to Corey's hand. She visibly cringed as sparks shot out from their combined presence, but did not move her face. Electricity shot out from her touch and washed over the entire robot's shell. Corey yelped and fell backwards.

"Are you alright?" Optimus asked, peering down at the surprised human.

"I'm fine," he replied. He laughed weakly. "Damn, Payton! Warn me next time there's a spike coming."

The dark glare from Payton told him to shut up and he obeyed. He stood and leaned back over Jazz again. Looking at it from above, Bumblebee could hardly believe that the motionless 'bot had once been strewn apart like scrap metal.

"Whew," Payton whistled, stepping back after a few minutes. She frowned. "Make a note of this: dead robots are especially hard to re-wire." She suddenly looked uncomfortable. "His internal processors are fried, man!"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, suddenly alarmed.

"His insides are all connected again, but they were severely damaged. He'll definitely be able to run again, but I don't know if his memory bank will be screwed up if I re-route his energy core." She paused. "I think that's the energy core, beneath the chest. Right?"

"His spark," murmured Optimus. He shot a wary glance over at Ratchet. "That is what makes us who we are, like the human idea of a soul."

Corey shifted uneasily. "That's not easily tampered with."

"Well, it could be re-routed if I'm careful. See? The tear goes around the core, not through it. But…" Payton shook her head. "I can't guarantee a total comeback."

"Wait, so what are you saying exactly?" Mikaela asked.

"She means," Bumblebee began, his voice sad. "Jazz may not be the same as he was before he was deactivated."

Sam looked shocked. "You mean, he won't remember who he is?!"

"Doesn't he have like, a back up file?" Payton asked, worried.

Corey frowned at her. "They're not _really_ computers, Payton."

"Hold up," Oscar suddenly said. He sighed and crossed his arms against his chest, as though he was being inconvenienced. "This is a soul problem? Why not let me handle it?"

All four of his companions who had eyes gave him a hard stare. Oscar scowled.

"I may be legally insane, but I'm not stupid!"

"You'll give him the mind of a bird or something!" Payton accused, throwing her arms up. "Or a dog!"

"No, I won't and that only happened once!"

Sparks grimaced. "As much as he is reckless, he is the only one who could do what needs to be done," he said. He looked up at Optimus. "Make your decision, Transformer Optimus Prime. Will you trust Oscar to help your companion?"

Optimus smiled slightly. "I see no reason not to trust him," he replied.

"HA!" Oscar shouted, pointing at Sparks, who glared back.

Payton, backing away from Jazz, shrugged. "Okay, but I ain't gonna take any crap from you guys if your friend starts barking instead of talking."

Although her warning did instill an uneasy wariness in the others, no one stopped Oscar from climbing up onto the truck bed. Ironhide suddenly groaned.

"It's getting a little crowded up there, isn't it?" he asked, strained.

"You're a giant robot for Pete's sake!" cried Payton, as if insulted. "Take it like a man!"

Ironhide growled and Sparks rolled his golden eyes. He leaped from the side, next to Optimus. Corey, Jane and Payton also stepped down from the bed.

"Good luck," Corey said, turning to Oscar.

The said man only grinned. "Soul searching is fun!" he said, mostly to himself. He rubbed his hands together as if about to enjoy a feast. "Let's see if that lil' thing is still hanging around the corpse and get this expedition underway then…"

As the man muttered bizarre things to himself and bent over the prone form of Jazz, the others watched quietly. Mikaela leaned towards Corey.

"What exactly is he going to be doing again?" she asked.

Corey smiled. "Oscar can literally take our personal energies, often called souls, and place them somewhere else. If what we're hoping for is true, he'll be able to piece together Jazz's soul. That way, when we revive him, he won't be someone totally different than before."

"That sounds so…" Sam began to say, wincing. "Complicated."

"It is."

Several minutes passed. Oscar continued to poke and mutter as he crouched over the body. He frowned deeply. Then, without preamble, he slammed his fist onto the chest plate. Electricity shot out where his fist touched. The humans as well as Bumblebee jumped in surprise.

"All done!" cried Oscar. He grinned over at Sparks. "And he won't be barking. _Promise_."

Sparks glared darkly. "Theatrics notwithstanding, you are still a fool."

"Wh-what do you mean, 'done?'" Sam asked, surprised. "Is he fixed?"

"Nope," Oscar replied, standing up. He grinned. "I just move 'em. Payton and Corey are the jump-starters!"

Laughing dryly, Payton leaned against the truck bed. "Yeah, yeah. Move your ass so we can get this guy up and running."

Sniffing indignantly, Oscar hopped down onto the ground next to the group. Corey and Payton both climbed back up again onto Ironhide.

"Sorry this whole thing is taking so long," Corey said, looking up briefly at Optimus. "We've never really done this before."

Optimus smiled. "It's alright, Corey. We are thankful you are trying so hard."

"If I fix him, will you apologize for abducting me?" Payton suddenly asked, turning to Bumblebee. The said robot scowled and crossed his arms.

"First, you apologize for kicking me."

Leo snorted. "She does tend to do that when all else fails. You have my sympathy, friend."

"DON'T SIDE WITH _HIM_! YOU'RE _MY_ CAR!" Payton screamed, pointing angrily at the SUV.

"And I have saved your sorry ass way too many times for me to just let you own me, brat."

Corey rolled his eyes. "Enough! Let's get him up." He sat down next to Jazz and smiled. "Ready, Payton?"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, sitting down opposite of the boy. She grinned down at the robot. "Well, Mr. Jazz, prepare for the most shocking experience of your life. And I mean that literally."

Raising his finger, Corey smirked. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three!" cried Harley the toaster, leaping and falling backwards, giggling.

The two teenagers both moved at the same time. Payton gingerly tapped the center of Jazz's chest with her lips. Corey touched the center with his index finger. Electricity zapped out from the touch and shot out over the entire robot's body. Bumblebee, Optimus and Ratchet leaned in closer, mesmerized. Sam and Mikaela both leaned in closer, mouths open in shock. Then, Sam felt his heart skip a beat.

Jazz's optics flashed blue.

"AH, FRICTION BURN!"

Payton shrieked and flew back from the body, her hands wrapped around her mouth defensively. Corey fell backwards and clutched his hand. Before anyone could worry about the two humans, everyone gasped when Jazz sat up.

After months of laying in a never-ending stasis, Bumblebee did not expect his fellow Autobot to simply sit up. But Jazz did. He stared out, his eyes alight once more, but he did not speak. Silence fell over them all.

Sam gulped. _What if Oscar didn't get the soul right? What if…?_

Abruptly, Jazz's eyes flared dangerously. "SLAG IT! WHERE'D YOU GO?!" he shouted, whipping his head around so viciously, Corey and Payton had to duck. The Autobot quickly took out his cyro-gun and looked around even swifter. He seemed livid. "I'LL GET YOU, YOU SLAGGING DECEPTICON!"

In all the brief silence, everyone stared at the enraged 'bot. Optimus blinked.

"That's Jazz, alright," the ancient leader said, relieved.

"Huh?" the said Autobot said, suddenly aware of the audience in front of him. His optics seemed to grow wider in shock. "Optimus? What the slag? Where's the city?!"

"You are okay!" Bumblebee exclaimed, joy etched into his scratchy voice.

"Bumblebee? You're speaking!" Jazz looked down at the truck bed. "Hey! Ironhide, why am sitting on you?!"

Ironhide burst out into booming laughter. "It's great to hear the stupidity in your voice again, old friend," he joked.

"WHAT? What the slag is going on?!"

Payton waved her hand and put on a fake, high-pitched voice. "Welcome to Earth, my name is Payton and I'll be your guide this evening," she said, tilting her head. "We hope you enjoyed our Bringing-You-Back-To-Life special and that you'll come again soon!"

Jazz blanched. "WHO THE SLAG ARE YOU?!" he screamed. "Optimus!"

"Easy," his leader said, waving his hand. "You were taken out by Megatron during the battle. It's been six months. We had tried our bests, but we had thought we really did loose you, Jazz."

"Lost…?" repeated Jazz, as if unsure. He hesitated. "Six months? I was…dead?"

"Like a doornail," replied Payton happily.

"Wha—WHO ARE YOU?!"

Corey laughed. "I'm Corey Hash and that's Payton Travison. We helped put you back together, Mr. Jazz."

Jazz scowled. "How did two humans bring me back online—'specially if Ratchet couldn't?" he demanded, motioning at the said medic.

"It seems we're not the only otherworldly presence here on Earth," Ratchet replied, chuckling. "Although their methods are a bit…strange, they fixed you in a matter of minutes. I had almost given up after six months!"

"You're tellin' me a buncha humans re-activated me when YOU couldn't?!"

"You were torn in half down the middle and all your wires had been severed," Oscar pointed out happily.

Jane smirked. "Yeah. We had to meld your body back in place."

Corey nodded. "And Oscar re-routed your Spark-thing."

"And then we zapped your core 'till it came back on," Payton piped. She pouted and poked her blistering lips. "My lips hurt now!"

Jazz stared forward in a shocked silence and if he could, Bumblebee was certain the 'bot would have paled several skin tones. Optimus chuckled and gently patted his friend on the shoulder.

"It's great to have you back, old friend," the gentle leader said.

"I didn't even know," Jazz murmured. He seemed taken back by everything that had been said. "The last thin' I remember is shootin' at Megatron. Six human months?" He looked up sharply, alarmed. "Wait jus' a breem(1)! What happened to _him_?!"

Bumblebee chuckled. "Sam destroyed him," he said, pride audible in his voice.

The said human wilted under Jazz's flabbergasted face.

"You have t'be kiddin' me! Way t'go, kid!" crowed the silver Autobot. He shook his head, grinning in a robotic fashion. "Man, I missed a lot."

"We'll help you catch up," Sam replied, grinning. It was startling to see the Autobot up and about again, but it was also amazing.

Jazz hopped down from the truck bed and wobbled slightly on his feet. Corey laughed. "It'll take some time to get used to moving again, I guess. You may want to get a serious check up from your medic. We never fixed a robot before. We may have missed some things."

"I actually feel pretty good," Jazz replied. He scoffed, but remained grinning. "I owe you, who ever you are."

Payton grinned and stood up triumphantly, striking a pose. "We're just your friendly neighborhood science experiments gone wrong," she declared. The others laughed, but Ironhide snorted. Without warning, he transformed. Payton, flung forward, screamed and landed gracelessly on top of Corey and Jane.

"That wasn't nice, Ironhide," Optimus warned, though he couldn't hide his smile.

The weapons specialist shrugged and stretched. "I can't stand all that noise," he replied.

To save them all from whatever death threat the livid Payton was about to spit out, Corey stood and faced the Autobots. "We should really get going," he said. "Our hotel is in the next town and it's almost dark."

Optimus nodded. "We are in your debt, all of you," he said, smiling down at the tourists.

Sparks scowled and looked back up at the darkening sky. "Such a small planet and an even smaller race that inhabits it," he murmured, his voice distant again. He seemed lost in thought. "To think such creatures like ourselves found it amongst all the other stars."

"It is strange," Ratchet replied, looking up as well. "The human race is indeed a unique species."

"But we find a home amongst them anyway," Bumblebee added. He looked down at Sam and Mikaela, mirroring their grins.

Payton smirked and poked Sparks' arm. "Enough alien-bonding," she said. "I've had enough of robots and creepy Camaros for one afternoon."

His optics narrowing, Bumblebee took on a fighting stance. Payton glared back and mimicked his pose.

"YOU WANNA FIGHT, PUNK? BRING IT!" she challenged.

"It was a pleasure meeting you all," Corey said, looking at the Sam and Mikaela before up at the Autobots. He grabbed Payton by the back of her shirt and yanked her towards the car as he waved cheerfully. "Maybe we'll run into each other again."

"Hopefully under better conditions," Sam muttered, sending the sheepish Bumblebee a look.

Oscar waved excitedly as Jane climbed up into Leo beside him. "Hope your soul stays in place now, silver robot man."

"It's Jazz," Jazz replied, slightly disturbed by the human's action. "Uh, thank you."

After successfully shoving the protesting Payton into the front seat, Corey turned back to the group. He hesitated.

"Good luck with your war," he said. He smiled wryly.

"Good luck with yours," answered Mikaela, grinning.

Leo scoffed and moved back and forth slightly. "Ha! You should be praying these morons don't mess things up more than they are," he said.

Jane rapped her knuckle on the side of his door. "I don't see you doing anything to help out, scrap heap," she said.

"I'm the one who gets transporting you people!"

"I'm hungry!" snapped Payton, hitting the dashboard with her fist. "So let's vamoose!"

"Excuse me, brat?" Leo yelled back.

"I own you, bitch, so obey me!"

Harley bounced up and down excitedly. "Hungry, hungry, hungry!" he echoed, giggling. He flew up above Sam and Mikaela and seemed to look down at them. "Bye bye!" he cried before dashing off towards Leo's sunroof.

"Bye," Mikaela laughed, waving.

All five humans (or humanoids) climbed back into the SUV, who was currently yelling at an equally angry Payton in the driver's seat. Sam briefly wondered how they survived being in such close proximity to each other when they argued so often and so violently, but that really wasn't any of his business.

Leo flashed his lights and turned back towards the road, dust flying up as he went. Corey and Oscar waved out their windows. Bumblebee started to wave back cheerfully, but Ironhide slapped the back of his head. Once they disappeared from view, Sam looked up when he saw the Autobots literally sag with relief.

"That was quite a tiring ordeal," Optimus commented. He smiled slightly. "But it was worth it."

"I'll say!" cried Jazz. He flexed his fingers gingerly. "Hey, Ratchet, wanna check me out now? T'make sure they didn't make any mistakes?"

Ironhide crossed his arms and stared intently at the shorter 'bot. "Hmm. I think they did a good job patching you up."

"Ya think?"

"Yeah. Too bad they couldn't do anything for your face."

While Jazz body-chucked Ironhide and both fell to the ground wrestling each other, Sam looked up at Bumblebee.

"So, what now, Bee?" he asked. His robot friend shrugged in a very human-like fashion.

"We still need to present our Decepticon sighting reports," the Autobot spy said. He looked over at the now fist-fighting duo on the ground and the more dignified Ratchet and Optimus who were watching as well. "Of course, that may be put off until later this evening." Bumblebee chuckled and looked back down at his human companion. "I will take you home in the mean time, then, Sam and Mikaela, if you wish."

"Sounds good," Mikaela replied, stretching. "I am totally alien-ed-out for today."

Bumblebee laughed again and quickly transformed back into his usual vehicle form for the children. With a quick glance at the other distracted Autobots, Sam shook his head and began to open his door.

Mikaela hesitated. "I can't help but feel we forgot something," Mikaela suddenly said as she opened Bumblebee's door.

Sam frowned. "That's weird. Me, too."

Then, silence.

"Oh, shit—MILES!"

**& & &**

They had just reached the outskirts of the city when the sun completely set. Leo, of course, insisted on taking over driving when it got that late. According to him, Payton's attention span only worked from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M., but she denied it completely. Nevertheless, Payton currently sat with her hands no where near the steering wheel and was staring absently into space.

"Oh, what a day," Jane murmured from the second row. She leaned back in her bucket seat and dropped her marine logo baseball hat over her eyes. "I have had enough of aliens from now until summer is over."

"We still need to be on the lookout for Drokes(2)," Sparks warned, leaning up from behind her. He frowned. "While I still do not comprehend the necessity of this 'road trip,' but I will try to be lenient."

"_You_?" Payton exclaimed, in mock surprise. "No way."

"Watch it, child. I can move faster than you."

Oscar chuckled and patted the apparently sleeping toaster on his lap as he sat next to Jane. "Where are we headed next?"

"I dunno," Corey replied, pulling out a road map from under the passenger side seat. He quickly scanned over the map. "We could head to Los Angeles and San Francisco."

"Let's go see the mountain full of presidents' heads!" Payton exclaimed, facing him with an excited smile.

"Um, we passed Mount Rushmore like two hundred miles ago."

"…Oh. I knew that."

Corey laughed and set the map down in between them. "How about you Leo?" he asked the dashboard. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere the road takes us," the smart-mouthed car said. There was definitely a smile in his voice. The two teenagers grinned and nodded.

"Sure, let's go with that idea," Payton said, leaning back into her seat with a content sigh.

The car fell into a calming silence. After a few more miles, Corey chuckled.

"So, how was _that_ for a town called Tranquility, Nevada?" he asked, grinning over at Payton.

"Tranquility?" the said girl repeated. Grimacing, Payton leaned against the window and sighed heavily. "Not so much of that there."

Corey laughed. "Is it anywhere?"

"Nada."

Leo snorted in a way only a talking car could. "Idiots."

_Fin._

* * *

And that's it! XD I had fun writing this, since it was excellent character developement for my original characters. I changed a bit of the information since I wrote this fan fiction, but hey, _The Sky Is Falling_ won't (if ever) be published for a looong time, since I am so slow. Oh well. Thanks for reading anyway! 

Is it bad that I came up with a sequel idea? LOL.

1. A "breem" is about 8.3 Earth seconds.  
2. "Drokes" are the villains in my science fiction story, where Payton and the others are from.


End file.
